Icy Feathers
by RooftopTenshi
Summary: I was burnt on the stake. Yet somehow I survived. I couldn't remember anything. Not my name nor my age nor my past. For some reason, when I woke up, I was covered in feathers. Looking for answers, I started walking, only to find that the world as I knew it had disappeared. Then a man named Logan found me when I was on the verge of dying again.
1. Fatal Meeting

3rd person PoV

Down in the village the people were packing up from yesterday's celebrations.

It had been a wonderful occasion as the villagers brought justice to their homes. A grand wooden stake had stood above a large pile of dry tinder. The glorious speeches about righteousness were made and everyone celebrated. All but one.

The girl was young, and she looked like any normal noble daughter. She had straight, light brown hair that fell to her broad shoulders. She had a strong build, yet it was evident by the curves under her faded clothes that she was coming upon womanhood.

A large man with a black hood was holding her hands behind her back and he pushed her forward towards the wooden stake. The girl glanced frantically around, her hazel eyes were wide and frightened, looking for anyone who might help her. She was met with the empty faces of those who knew her and the jeering faces of those who only knew her crime.

…

The other night, a murderer had entered her home, intent on killing the family and stealing whatever he could find. The girl, who had been awake, heard the foe and raced to her parent's room. When she got there, she saw a man, a large, scarred man, looming over her parents with a long dagger. A scream ripped from her throat and without thinking she threw herself at the man. Her parents were her life, and she loved them enough to sacrifice herself for them. The girl's sudden sound and impact startled the man and knocked him to the ground.

But he was bigger than her and shoved her away, standing up and turning his flashing knife towards her. As he stepped closer to her, enjoying the look of pure terror on her face, she started screaming again. This time, it was a scream of pain. The man paused, confused at her seemingly non-existent source of pain. The girl fell to the ground, writhing in agony. The thief's eyes widened as he saw what was happening. Two silvery looking bones had protruded from the girls back, between her shoulder blades and were growing. When they were about a foot long, spikey shapes of the same colour started extending out of the bones. The man backed up to the window and his dagger slipped from his grasp, clattering to the ground.

After several moments, the only sound in the darkened room was the girls' panting breath. She stood up and staggered backwards, overbalanced by the things on her back. The thief edged away slightly, headed towards the door. As he moved, the moonlight came in from the window and he gasped in terror. The girl had stretched the things on her back and now it was clear. Shimmering gently in the moonlight was a pair of massive, silvery wings. They almost looked soft and feathery, yet they also had a lethal look about them. As if they were made of thousands of tiny knives.

The man screamed. A loud scream bound to wake the entire village, it pierced the night air. This man was not known for his bravery.

Then two more yells added to the din and the girl whipped her head around towards the bed, where her parents had jumped up with a look of terror and disgust etched upon their faces.

The girl, panicking, did what she originally came to the bedroom for. She lunged across the room to the man who was going to murder her parents, and her wings swung around of their own accord and stabbed him in the chest. He gasped, then choked before dropping to the floor, stone dead.

Then the girl, terrified at what she'd done, fainted, and her wings retreated into her back.

Unknown to her, her parents brought her to the village leader and demanded she be burned.


	2. Fatal Flames

1st Person PoV

The torch touched the wood at the base of the tinder beneath me. My heart was beating wildly, and my senses were blurred by the yelling, cheering crowd. I had long given up looking for someone to save me, and now my eyes were glued to the flames quickly licking their way through the wood. The smell of smoke reached me and my eyes watered. I struggled helplessly against the rope that wound its way painfully around my wrists and the wooden stake I was tied to.

The flame worked its way closer, eating faster and faster through the dry branches stacked up. I could feel the heat on my face, making my lips dry. My breath was coming quickly, and I choked in lungfuls of smoke. I wrenched at my wrists, and cried out as the rope cut into them. I could feel something slippery around my wrists, and I assumed I was bleeding. The noise of the crowd had become one constant rumble that made my ears hurt.

The flames were so close I could feel them. They flickered and sparked towards me, and I tried to edge away but I was surrounded by it. I breathed in again and promptly spluttered against the smoke, making my heart beat double as I lost my breath.

The flame caught me.

It lit my trousers and I screamed, writhing and trying to push my leg against the stake and smother the flames. I stamped on them and squashed them but no luck. There was too many flames. I had no hope.

The pain was unbearable.

Yelling myself hoarse, I felt my tears dry and crack on my face. I kicked out but I couldn't stop the pain. The fire was a fierce enemy. It bit and tore at me, eating my flesh. It reached my hands and my coherent thoughts were long since gone. The pain was too much.

During the haze of agony and yelling over what felt like hours, but could have only been minutes, I crumpled to the ashes of the fire.

I didn't have enough thought to process that the flames had eaten through the ropes and dropped me to the ground.

I could only curl into a ball and let the intense pain wash over me and eat me to death.


	3. Huh?

1st Person PoV

My head throbbed.

Through a phase of foggy thoughts, I realised that I must be in some kind of afterlife.

Oddly, my entire body felt slippery, like it was covered in silk or liquid. I cracked open my eyes. Everything was black. Like the colour of soot. I couldn't see a thing. Blinking, I dimly registered the sounds of festivities and cheering in the distance.

I squinted my eyes as I pressed a hand on the ground beside myself, trying to push my body up. I could feel a warm, powdery substance underneath my hands. A sliver of light appeared in my vision and I tried to focus on it. Finally, with a bit of blurry sight, I realised I was lying on a bed of cooling coals. The blackness in my eyes had been soot. Then it hit me.

I had been burnt.

To death.

And yet here I was, still alive, sitting up, wiping soot from my eyes and smelling charred flesh and woodsmoke.

This made no sense whatsoever. I looked down at my now charcoal smeared naked body. Although I wasn't naked. Not really. I looked as though I was covered in feathers. Tiny, black and red feathers.

 _This is what the slippery feeling must have been,_ I thought.

Although how the feathers weren't burning in the coal didn't make sense either. I lifted my hand which had been resting in the embers up to my face and examined it. On the palm side, the feathers almost looked metallic, while on the other side they looked downy. I looked at the underside of my leg to find a similar pattern there. I think I was in so much shock about dying, that I wasn't really registering the surreal fact that I was covered in feathers.

I looked up again to realise I was in the same place in our village as where the wooden stake was built. So I hadn't shifted. I was still alive. Somehow these feathers must have saved me from dying.

As confused as I was, one thought stood out in my slowly moving brain.

 _Run. Get out of here._

And so I did. I clambered to my feet, before tripping and promptly falling face first in the embers again. Coughing from the cloud of ash, I stood more carefully and made my way on shaky legs towards the nearest house. I realised if I was going to run, I needed supplies and some clothes. Who knows how long these feathers would stick on my body for? I needed something to cover myself up.

I pushed against the door of the house I had made it to. Luckily it was unlocked and it swung open inwards. Stumbling into the corridor, I thanked the lord our village houses were all of similar set up. I turned into the first room and grabbed the first item of clothing I saw. A long, heavy black jacket, which I swung around my shoulders. Next was food. I headed towards the kitchen.

I spied a small sack of what looked to be dried fruit, cheese and bread so I walked over to it and picked it up. Just as I reached it I heard voices coming closer. With a panicked intake of breath, I looked around the room before scurrying towards the exit. At least it was the exit in my house. Quietly opening the door, I found myself in another darkened room. I glanced around, feeling more panic set in. To my left I glimpsed a sliver of moonlight the same time as I felt a breeze pass my face. I crossed the room and darted outside into the cool night air.

Realising that the back of the house led to the edge of the village, I glanced around one more time before gripping the sack of food closer to myself and sprinting towards the forest.


	4. Again?

The weeks passed and the feathers on my body disappeared. My food lasted long enough for my face feathers to go, but after that I had to sneak into villages at night and steal food.

Once my feathers disappeared, I spent my time drifting from one village to the next, not staying long enough for anyone to remember me. I did not enjoy my life of roaming and I soon got sick of it. I had no friends to chat with, no decent home and not many decent meals.

So, I decided that I would stay for longer at the next village I came across.

The next village turned out to be rather large, with a couple of richer looking houses on one side of the village. In fact, I think it was more of a town than a village. As I stood on the edge of a forest, deciding how I was going to do this, I glanced down at myself. There were no feathers in sight. I was barefoot and I still wore the long black cloak. In all honesty, I felt like a scrub. Some kind of bramble bush perhaps. My hair was matted and knotty, my skin was grimy and covered in dirt and I was barefoot. I probably looked like a peasant. With that thought, I decided to sneak into the village I just left to attempt to make myself look presentable.

… _Time skip…_

It was just reaching dawn, and I glanced down at myself once again. I may have overdone it a bit. I wore newish, coloured clothes that may possibly pass for noble standard. I didn't really have much choice last night though. The house I had chosen to sneak into had been richer than it looked on the outside, and what I was wearing now would probably have been their cheapest clothes. I had bathed myself as well, brushed my hair and found some decent shoes.

I decided that there was no point waiting around any longer, and so I walked toward the village entrance just as the cock crowed.

I spent 6 years living in the village called Croton. I lived a quiet life. Trying not to get attached to anyone, yet still maintaining a social life was quite difficult. I had somehow managed to live in luxury, up in the rich end of town, because an elderly man mistook me for his granddaughter the day I walked into the village. The actual granddaughter had moved away permanently last year. The man thought she had come back to him when he saw me. I didn't tell the truth, because I was desperate, and so I became Miss Julie Brown.

I vaguely felt guilty about taking her place, but the grandad loved me and I ended up not wanting to break his heart.

The old man passed away one year after I moved in. I inherited everything he had, as he had no other kin. I learnt to speak prim and proper, like a lady of my time and newly found status. Life was pretty good.

Until _it_ happened again.

It was my elderly neighbour. I called her Nan.

In a horribly similar way to that day many years ago, her son struck out to murder her, and I got in his way.

With my wings.

Once again, in that fatal moment, wings grew out of my back and that acted of their own accord, striking the son down. He managed to slash me twice across my stomach before I got to him.

In agonising pain, I glanced at Nan's face, and turned tail for the door. I ran out to my house, and once again I grabbed my heavy, black coat, the only physical reminder I had of what happened last time, and I moved out into the cold night.

I ran without thinking, and stumbling occasionally on the tree roots that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

At some point it started to snow. At least, I think it did. I may have just moved high enough on the mountains that I ran into the snow.

My pace had slowed drastically. Maybe it was the blood loss. I felt light headed. I was only just walking now. Moving one foot in front of the other, I plunged my bare feet into snow that must have been 20cm deep. I couldn't really feel the cold. One thing I could feel was a burning pain coming from the long cuts over my stomach. Who knows how much blood I had lost? It could be fatal.

I tripped again, this time over my own feet, and landed face first in the snow. I lay there for a couple of moments, before heaving a deep breath and pushing myself up onto all fours.


	5. Shoot, I did it again

I crawled forwards, my limbs moving with excruciating pain, towards a shallow pit in the snow at the base of a tree a couple of metres in front on me. _One knee forward. One hand forward_. I couldn't even tell my hand was bare as I plunged it down into the snow in front of me. My hands, feet and face were frozen numb. They had gone past the point of pain. My chest however, heaved in agony every quick short breath I took. I could feel the wind reaching its sharp, icy claws past my heavy black coat and scratch at my ribs. _Another hand forward. Then a knee. Almost there. Just a couple more hands._

At last I collapsed in the hole, the tree protecting me from the wind but nothing stopping the cold seep further into me. Curling up into a ball, I could feel something warm sticking to my stomach. My thoughts slow, I stupidly unbuttoned my coat and pushed my frozen hand to where the warmth was coming from. I didn't care about my now semi-exposed body, or perhaps the cold was stopping any intelligent thought process. My rough, icicle-like hand brushed over the source of heat. It was warm and sticky, and it seemed to be coming from some deep gashes across the flesh of my stomach and over my ribs. I cracked open an eye that I hadn't realised I had closed, and saw my hand was covered in a deep red colour.

 _What a pretty colour,_ I thought sluggishly, before letting my eyes droop shut again.

The coldness had gone. I couldn't feel anything. My mind drifted and I started thinking about how soft the ground was.

 _I'm so comfy I could just fall asleep._

It felt like someone had poured a jug of warm, thick treacle on my head and it was slowly dripping down, covering my entire body and lulling me into a relaxing sleep.

I let my mind go. I couldn't fight it anymore.

I fell into a fatal sleep curled in the snow high on the mountain plains in a forest.


	6. I don't remember?

Soft, warm light filtered from the sky and lit my body lazily. I felt like I was lying on a cloud. I tried to open my eyes, but found they were covered in a thick layer of sleep. Moving a hand up to scratch away the sleep, I found my limbs were stiff and weak. It was satisfying picking the sleep away, and soon I slowly opened my eyes, blinking in the lazy sunlight.

I seemed to be curled up in a foetal position, at the base of a large tree which towered above me. It had green leaves, like it was the middle of spring. Deciding not to move for a while, I lay on the ground and let the sun warm me up.

After several minutes, I gained some energy from the warmth and began to stand up. _I swear I'm like some kind of reptile, soaking up sun for energy._ As I shifted, I noticed that my body was covered in something like… like feathers?! I gave a strange strangled scream and jerked my body weirdly. As if I was trying to shake the feathers away.

 _What the hell?!_

Little white downy feathers, the colour of snow, covered most of my body except for a slash across my torso. That section had stronger looking, silvery feathers. I was so confused. About everything actually. The only thing that wasn't confusing was how nice the sunlight was. I couldn't remember why I was lying at the base of the tree, or how I got there. I didn't know my age or even my name. _Did I have a name? Why am I covered in feathers? Is that normal?_

It was like my memory had been wiped clean.

I figured I had to some other people, to see if they know who I am. _I wonder what day it is?_

I wrapped my long coat, the only item I seemed to be wearing, around me tightly and set off through the forest in a random direction.

…..

3rd person.

" _Logan?"_

The man in question jumped before rolling his eyes.

"What Charles?" He grumbled.

" _There is someone on our North borders. They seem to be in a frail state of mind, but I can't tell what their intention is. Go check it out, but be careful."_ Charles's mental voice replied.

Logan grunted compliantly, before heading off in said direction to the school's borders.

…..

1st person

 _I must keep going._

My mantra continued through the haze of hunger and tiredness I was in. I was moving through a forest in the darkening light, trying to find some source of shelter for the night. The air was moist and warm, and it smelt like leaves and undergrowth. I had been walking for two days now, and I hadn't seen a soul. Several birds had twittered past me earlier that day, but that was it.

I tripped over a small root and landed with an _oomf_ on the ground. My hands smarted from the impact, but for a moment I just lay there. Wrapping my long, black coat around me, I had the sudden urge to giggle.

 _At least its not snowing. The last time I was in this position, I was going to my deathbed._ I let loose a small giggle. _I can't even remember why I died. How sad. I think I'm going insane._ I paused. _Hang on. I died? What?_ Apparently my brain had been kind enough to lend me a memory. Although, I'm not actually sure whether I should believe it. No one can die an come back to life. That settled it. I must have been dreaming. _Brain, be quiet and let me be insane on my own. I don't need your help._ I giggled again. Talking to my own brain. I must be insane.

There is only been three things I've been able to figure out about myself. Firstly, I don't think I can die. At least, that's what my brain is telling me. Not sure if it's true. Secondly, I think it's the feathers that are keeping me alive. If say, I swiped a knife across my arm, a layer of metallic feathers would sprout from my skin, protecting me from the knife's blade. Funnily enough, I could still feel all the pain that the knife would have given me if it actually slit my skin. The feathers would remain metallic until the danger seems to be gone, or the main wound stopped bleeding. It would then turn into a softer, downy type of feather. Sometimes if the wound was bad enough, they would be larger, flight feathers. Lastly, my feathers seem to take on the colour of whatever hurt me. If it was a knife wound, the feathers would be silver. When I first woke up, I was almost completely covered in white feathers, with some longer, silver feathers across my abdomen. From this I could only guess what had happened to me.

I think I was stabbed, or slashed somehow, and then I escaped to the mountains, where I got caught in the snow and froze to death. Or, I would've died, if my feathers hadn't protected me and sent me into some healing sleep.

I looked down at my feet out of curiosity. Sure enough, a layer of feathers coated them, like shoes. They were brown and green coloured, like the leaves on the ground. The ones on the soles of my feet seem to be made of metal, while the others were just a downy coating.

…

I stood up again and started walking, sure that I had to be close to some civilisation.


	7. Finally

I was on the border of collapsing, when I saw a shadow move ahead of me. I stopped, swaying on my feet and squinted into the darkening light.

Through the trees I could see the shadow was moving closer, and soon it took the form of a man.

 _I am probably hallucinating,_ I thought. _My eyes are playing tricks on me._

Despite what I told myself, I didn't move and I kept my eyes fixed on the man. Eventually he was close enough for me to see. He looked tall, and bulky. He had a good looking physique completed by broad shoulders covered by a brown leather jacket. I would have been frail and small in comparison.

My feet had decided they weren't going to move, no matter if this guy was dangerous. And he certainly looked dangerous. As his face came into my focus, I could see his dark brown hair resembled ears of an animal and he had a beard, adding to his feral, strong look. However, his expression told me he wasn't going to hurt me. He looked grim, but I could see in his dark eyes that he wasn't here for violence, he was just curious, and a little cautious.

"Valorous evening sir. Can you help me?" The words slurred out of my mouth before I knew what I was doing.

The man raised his eyebrows.

"Whad'ya need help for?" He replied in a gruff, baritone voice.

I swayed on my feet, closing my eyes in bliss for the sound of another human's voice. And a deep, velvety one that I could just wrap around me like a blanket. Although his language wasn't like what I was used to. He used a rough, shortened speech, and it took me a second to decipher what _whad'ya_ meant.

"Are ya hurt?" The man asked shortly.

I opened my eyes to his voice and suddenly vertigo caught me. My vision darkened, I gagged and staggered forwards. But my feet weren't working. I couldn't feel them. I tipped over and landed on my knees painfully.

I felt some hands on my shoulders. I inhaled the smell of woodsmoke and my eyelids drooped over my darkening vision.

"Need help…" I mumbled, before my strength left me and I dropped to the ground.

Or at least, I would have, if the man's hands weren't holding onto me. I found myself resting in a pair of warm arms being pulled closer. Somehow, bundled against this stranger's chest, I felt safe. Safer than I could ever remember being. Not that I remember much anyhow.

Before I completely dropped to sleep, I heard the man's voice call out.

"Charles? Charles, I'm bringing her in."

I fell asleep wrapped in woodsmoke, warm arms and a deep, baritone voice.


	8. Reflection

When I came to my senses, I found I was in a white, clean room. It was unlike any room I had ever been in before. Everything seemed so much cleaner and brighter than I was used to. It even smelt clean. There was no one else in the room, so I figured I must have been here long enough for them to leave me to sleep on my own.

I felt much better than when I was in the forest, so I must have slept rather a long time.

There was a bench in the corner with some strange looking devices on it. Some of the smaller objects almost looked like something a healer might use, which would make sense as I'd assumed that man brought me to a healer. However, there was a larger device which looked like a flat, black, rectangle suspended above the bench that I couldn't figure out.

Ignoring it for the time being, I lifted the white sheet off myself and slowly swung my legs around until I was sitting on the edge of the hard bed with my legs dangling off the edge. I noticed I was just wearing a flimsy, pale, blue gown type article, and I saw that my black coat was folded on the chair against the wall.

I stretched my toes out, which I saw were completely bare - with no feathers in sight, and slid down onto the cool, hard floor. I pushed off the bed and padded quietly towards my coat. There was a body length mirror next to the chair, and I paused glancing at it.

I'd never seen my reflection so clearly before. I couldn't remember seeing one of these objects. It seemed to be designed for looking at yourself. The best I'd ever seen myself was in a lake's reflection. I filed it in the same place in my mind as the black rectangle, and I wondered where exactly I was.

Slipping off my gown, my reflection told me I did not look nearly as bad as I thought I would. Someone had obviously sponged me down and brushed my hair, as the only noticeable feature that was off with me was how thin I was. It was sickly. I looked gaunt, my ribs stuck out and I looked as if a breeze would snap me. Not very aesthetically pleasing. Anyway, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a decent meal.

With that thought in mind, I picked up my coat and wrapped it around me like a layer of fat and comfort, before gingerly walking across to the door.

…

On the other side of the door I found myself in a long corridor, which looked slightly more familiar. Instead of white walls, it looked as if I was in an old, grand house. Not one that I'd ever been in before, but one that I'd dreamt about. Although this house seemed slightly bigger and slightly more advanced.

I made my way along the wooden floor to the end of the corridor. Without really knowing why, I turned left and kept walking.

I could hear some voices ahead, and they spoke in a similar way to how the man spoke.

"Heya Jube! I betcha can't catch me!" A feminine voice yelled.

"HA! Just watch me Kitty!" Another female voice screamed back.

I vaguely caught the gist of what was going on, and it sounded like a game of tag.

Sure enough when I neared an open door, two teenage girls rushed out after one another. The first girl, startled as she saw me, literally screeched to a halt.

"You're the girl Logan brought home?" She asked me breathlessly.

I looked at her, confused. "Who?"

"Ya know, big grizzly good-looking hunk?" She rolled her eyes while grinning.

Because I definitely knew what a hunk was. What kind of language is this?

I must have looked even more confused, because the girl behind her stepped in and nudged her friend.

"It's okay, we were all new here at one point, but I betchar' lookin' for the Professor's office, right?"

I nodded, not really understanding her, but the Professor sounded like someone who knew what he was doing, so I listened to the girls' instructions on how to get to his office. Whatever an office was.

As I started walking off in the direction she pointed me, she called out after me.

"When you're finished, come and find us. You look about our age and we can help you fit in to lessons and meet everyone."

I turned and sent a small smile towards her, before continuing walking. She seemed nice enough. I'm sure the other girl was nice too.

Although, I don't think I am their age. For some reason, I have the feeling I have been alive a long time, even though I can't remember much of it.


	9. How old are you really?

I knocked softly on what I assumed was the door to the Professors' office. I figured an office must just be a major room where people meet.

"Come in please." A smooth, elderly voice called out.

It sounded kind of echoey- not quite like a real voice. I pushed open the door and stepped inside. A bald man with kind blue eyes nodded at me.

"My lord." I bowed my head as I greeted the man. This was general greeting of respect for your seniors where I came from. Not sure about here, but I do it just in case I insult them.

"Close the door please." The man said.

At least I thought it was him. His lips didn't move as he said it. I narrowed my eyes at him and closed the door. Something wasn't quite right.

His office smelt slightly like woodsmoke, yet a fresh, cool breeze blew through the open window. I looked at the man again.

"I thank you for your kind hospitality good sir, but might I ask where I am?" I questioned him

….

Charles' PoV

The young lady looked to be in her teens, but perhaps it was her thin frame that gave her that appearance. The way she spoke certainly said she was older than she looked. When Logan had brought her in, I tried to look into her mind, but there were hardly any memories I could see. It appeared as though she herself couldn't remember who she was. Confusing, I know, but perhaps she had some kind of mind barrier blocking me. It didn't seem like it, as I could read her instant thoughts and I could tell she had been wandering through the forest for quite a while. Right now she was wondering if I was going to answer her question.

Ah, old age must be reaching me.

"Of course you may, my dear. This is my school for Gifted Youngsters."

"Gifted youngsters?" She repeated.

I nodded. "Yes. We take in mutants, give them a home and a normal life, while helping them control and learn their powers."

Her eyes widened. "Powers? What kind of powers?"

…..

OC PoV

I was slightly confused. Could he possibly mean something like the feathers on my feet? Although that doesn't really seem something I could control. I wonder if he saw my feathers when I came in.

His expression turned quizzical. "Feathers?" He repeated, almost as if he'd read my mind.

Before I could think on this he then flicked his eyes over to the corner of the room. My eyes followed his.

I heard a _snikt!_ and I jumped, startled, as a familiar baritone voice started abruptly.

"He means powers like this. It's a school for mutants. A school for teens like yaself." The man in the shadows stepped forward, his rumbling voice filling the room.

My heart was beating faster and I calmed myself, trying to understand his words. That would explain the woodsmoke smell. Hang on, he thought I was in my teen years? I was a woman, for God's sake!

I stood straight and stared at the man.

"Excuse me good sir, but I think you must be mistaken. I am well out of my teen years, and am probably as old as yourself." I said with hostility. "I am well past schooling age."

He glared at me with those beautiful dark eyes that seemed to look straight into my soul.

"Sure, ya can't be more than 17 – "

The bald man rolled between us cutting the other man off. I just noticed that his chair had wheels. They looked sleek and were made of a material unfamiliar to me.

The wheelchair man looked up at the bulky man.

"Logan, put your claws away, we don't know this young lady's background so you can't go around assuming anything." He said in a smooth voice.

Funnily enough, although I saw the claws extending between his knuckles, the only thing I registered was –

"So _you_ are the hunk."

Both men turned to me with startled expressions.

The claw man – the hunk – or Logan said bluntly, "What?"

The other man's face had turned to an amused expression.

I, still not really knowing the meaning of the word, rambled out some kind of reply.

"Well, I did not know your name, so the girl in the corridor described you as the grizzly hunk when she conversed with me. I had no clue what a hunk was, so I did not put the description to you." I blinked. "Although that does not really explain it. What _is_ a hunk?"

The men stared at me for a moment before bursting out laughing. The laughter transformed Logan's face into quite a handsome face and realised he may not be as grumpy as he came across. I assumed I had completely misunderstood the word hunk, but I gave up searching for answers. It didn't look like they were going to tell me.

Logan straightened up and looked at me.

"Seriously, what era _do_ ya come from? Ya talk as if you were raised in the 15th century or something." He raised an eyebrow.

I felt vaguely confused. I knew sometime had passed, but I didn't think it would have been that long.

"What year is it?"

"1975." The bald man replied. "What year do you think it is?"

 _Heavens above. It can't be. That's impossible._

"Ah…. Well. Ah." I was lost for words. What should I tell them?

"How old are ya?" Logan queried.

I vaguely came to a decision.

"It is rude to ask of a lady's age, however I will say I am older than you."

They accepted that and were silent for a minute, until the bald man broke the silence.

"Alright, let's start the introductions. I am Charles Xavier, and I run this school. This," Charles gestured to the other man, "is Logan. Or as you know him, the hunk." He grinned, while Logan smirked. "Logan is one of our teachers at this school. Now how about yourself?"

I nodded. _I can't remember my name._

"Really? You can't remember your name?" Charles questioned.

I looked at him, confused.

"Are you reading my thoughts or am I speaking aloud?"

He smiled. "Your thoughts dear. Your see, that is my mutation. While Logan here has claws, I can see into people's minds, read their thoughts and I can also control people's minds."

Logan grunted. "Way to go Professor, you've probably scared her now."

"Not more than you showing off your claws I dare say." Charles replied.

I smiled. "On the contrary, my dear sirs, I am quite intrigued."

Charles grinned at this, so I continued.

"You say you can read my mind then?"

He nodded.

"Then can you tell me my name?"


	10. My Mutation Have I forgotten something?

Charles looked at me with a sad expression.

"No, I cannot. Your memories seem to be limited to only several days ago, so I cannot tell you anything more than you already know. Although perhaps, for now, you could tell us all you know about yourself."

Ah well. It was worth a try. Considering the few things I can remember, maybe I don't want to know anything else. So, maybe I'll start a new life. See where thing go.

"Yes. I can do that." I started. "There is not much to say. A few days ago I woke up in the forest. From what I gather, I had been sleeping. For a very long time. You said this was a school for the gifted?" I glanced at Charles. "Then perhaps I might fit in here."

"I cannot remember my other life. Occasionally I have a hunch, and I just know a small fact of what it was. For example, I know it was a long time ago. The people I have met here all speak very different to what I am used to. The objects in the white room I woke up in. A piece of wall designed to see your own reflection? Nothing like it existed in my time."

I paused for a moment, thinking.

"I remember pain. When I woke up, I thought that perhaps something had killed me, and my… my…" I trailed off, not quite sure how these people would explain it.

"Your mutation saved you. How?" Logan filled the gap for me.

Looking at him, I decided on how I was going to show them.

"Do you have a knife, or something – "

 _Snikt!_

I sighed. "Of course you do."

Logan grinned smugly.

I felt a butterfly twitch across my stomach. Ignoring it, I walked towards the tall, bulky man and raised my arm.

"Cut me."

Logan frowned, and Charles spoke.

"Are you sure that's a good idea Miss?"

I grunted.

"It is the easiest way to describe it."

"It'll hurt ya!" Logan butted in.

The corners of my lips twitched up. "I knew there would be a heart under all that muscle."

I sighed. "Yes, it will hurt, but it will show you what I can do."

I watched Logan and he seemed to come to a decision. He raised one arm, and retracted all but one claw. Looking at my face for confirmation, I nodded again and he slowly lowered the claw to my skin.

As the cold, silver metal touched my skin, a layer of feathers erupted under it. I hissed as the claw bit deeper, but the layer of feathers just grew thicker. They were the same colour as Logan's claws, and I could feel both men's eyes watching as the feathers grew. By the sound of metal scraping against metal it was easy to tell the feathers were made of some kind of metal. Logan retracted his claw and let a breath out I don't think he knew he was holding.

The professor spoke out.

"How long will they stay there?"

"Until the wound would close on normal skin." I replied.

I held my arm up again. "Here, touch the feathers. They aren't metal anymore, they're just normal feathers."

Logan reached his hand up and brushed his fingers over my feathers. I shivered, and I knew it wasn't from the breeze coming through the window.

"They're so soft." He mumbled.

"I can feel the pain like any other being would, yet the feathers protect me from any danger." I continued. "When I woke up, I was covered in soft, white downy feathers with slashes of silver across my chest. As the feathers take the colour of the danger, I figure that someone slashed me with a knife and then I froze in the snow."

I hesitated as the words sunk in.

"The feathers kept me from freezing to death, and in the slow process, they healed my body and brought me to life several centuries later."

Logan jerked.

"Several centuries!?" He looked me up and down. "I still stick by my words that ya don't look out of ya teens."

"Can you recall how old you were when you froze?" Charles asked.

I shook my head. "No, however I was old enough to live on my own and learn the manners of a proper lady of my time." I stopped. "Which I seem to be forgetting the longer I spend here."

"By my time, I should be calling you both my lord. Do I take it that is not how it is here?" I directed my question at Charles.

He smiled. "You are quite right. The world has advanced since the witch burnings."

I froze. "What?"

 _The pain. The agony. A hot red flame, flickering out and catching my clothes._ I staggered and dropped a knee to the ground. _Screaming. So much screaming. So much pain._

…

"Miss! Miss? It's okay. You're in the school. You're okay." A soothing voice called me back.

"Ya gonna be alright missy."

I gasped and opened my eyes. The sun filtered through the window, and a soft breeze danced over my face. I realised I was lying across a soft chair much comfier than anything I was used to. I heaved a deep breath of relief. I'm in a new life now. I can start again, and make some friends. Although I had a nagging feeling I was forgetting something, as I just couldn't seem to remember any joy from friendship and love. Any of the faces that seem to pop into my head, their expressions turn from a kind smile to a terrified look, or a jeering face of hatred. I shivered. I'll remember it one day.

For now, I looked at the two men hovering above and gave a soft smile.

"You can call me Pascale. My name is Pascale."


	11. Define Me

After a load complaint from my stomach, Logan led me downstairs to the kitchen to feed me. I was grateful that I could wrap my coat around my thin frame for comfort, because I felt as though I was missing several layers of fat. I couldn't wait to eat a decent meal.

As we entered the kitchen, my eyes widened as I took in all of the different items. On the wooden bench were several shiny, metallic objects that I couldn't begin to think what they were for. To my left, was a giant silver box making a low whining sound. There was a silver bowl indented in the bench with some more silver things leaning out over it. I felt so out of time.

"So what do yer want for grog?" Logan turned to me.

I blinked at him. "Grog?"

"Yeah. We have leftover burgers, snags and pasta. Or yer can just make something."

What? None of those items were familiar to me. I think the confusion must have shown on my face because Logan spoke again.

"Ah forgot yer were from some God-old century."

He pulled open the metallic box and reached inside. When he closed the door he was holding some kind of meat sandwiched between two buns. I could see some lettuce and tomato as well as something yellow in it too. In his other hand he held a shiny cylinder that looked cold. Gesturing towards the table behind me, he walked over to it a put the items down.

"This is a burger. You'll like it." He nodded his head to the chair in front of the foot before pulling out another chair a sitting down. I saw then that he held another item in his hand, ( _jeez how big must his hands be to hold all that?),_ which he cracked the top off and greedily took a drink.

When he rested it down, the man picked up the cylinder thing he put by my burger and pulled the little thing on top. _Pscht!_ I jumped at the sound before looking closer at the object.

"Sit." Logan demanded. "Drink this, it's a can of lemonade. And eat. You're starving for cryin' out loud."

I sat obligingly and reached out for the can. I took a sip, and a cool, sweet, bubbly liquid flowed into my mouth. I swallowed and giggled at the feeling. I could already tell I liked the drink. My burger sat in front of me, and I was unsure of how to eat it. I assumed it was like a large, fancy sandwich. So I picked it up in both hands, ignoring all the imaginary ladies from my time nagging me to 'eat politely'. I figured this time didn't seem strict on properness. I opened my mouth and took a bite, aware of Logan's eyes on me. A blissful combination of flavours filled my senses and I sighed in delight. This was sweet, savoury and so good! I didn't really know what was in it, but I devoured the burger quickly.

As I finished, I licked the juice off my fingers in an attempt to get rid off the stickiness when I caught eyes with the man across from me. I grinned sheepishly, a red blush spreading across my cheeks.

"Uh, is there a dish I can wash my hands in?"

Logan raised his eyebrows before standing up and walking over to the silver dish embedded in the bench, with me trailing behind him. He reached over a turned one of the knobs, and suddenly I jumped. Water was coming from the silver nozzle, pouring into the dish!

"Woah." I whispered, before stepping closer and putting my hands under the water stream.

…

Logan's PoV

The girl's naivety and enjoyment at simple things was amazing. Over the next couple of days, I became used to the corners of her lips curling up at the smallest of things, no matter how many times she saw it.

After her first meal in the 21st century, I lead her to her bedroom and got her settled in. Jubilee lent her some clothes, and the kid smiled gratefully before accepting the clothes and wandering into the bathroom to get changed. While I waited in the bedroom, I heard a giggle, and the sound of running water. There was silence for a moment, before another giggle and the sound of a tap going again. I raised my eyebrows in confusion before walking to the bathroom door and knocking.

"You okay in there, kid?" I questioned.

The tap turned off, and I heard another giggle before the door swung open. The girl's face was flushed with happiness. She was wearing Jubliee's pyjamas, consisting of a thin pale blue shirt which hung loosely on her thin frame, and short black, material shorts that left her legs bare. Feeling slightly hot, I focussed my eyes on just her face.

"This place is so… so…" She hesitated, at loss for the right word.

"Cool?"

I turned as Jubliee's voice rang across the room.

"I know right, it's awesome!" Jube continued.

I turned back to Pascale, to find her smile even wider.

"Although, Logan, you should really give the girl some space." Jube smirked.

I frowned at her, and stepped back from Pascale, not realising how close I had been to her.

"I'll help her get settled in for now. You'll see our Pascale tomorrow Logan." And with that Jubilee walked towards the slight girl, clearly dismissing me.

…

As the weeks passed, I caught Pascale more than once creeping to the kitchen in the middle of the night. It took me a couple of goes to figure out why. Over that time, I noticed that the girl's frame filled out as she ate more frequently. It was easy to see that she had soft curves and the beautiful body of a young women. She had quite a strong, broad build that accentuated her curves yet gave her a powerful appearance. In comparison to the frail, thin girl who I found in the forest, this was an attractive young woman.

….

OC PoV

I couldn't help myself, really. The kitchen taps just lured me to turn them on. It was an amazing invention, one of many that I had found out about. The first couple of times, I found myself waking up at some early morning hour just to turn those taps on. It was like checking I wasn't dreaming. More often than not, I heard footsteps and caught that familiar woodsmoke smell, so I snuck out and scurried back to my room before the clawed man caught me.

One time, I was trying out the toaster, completely engrossed in the technology, when a someone caught me by surprise.

"You know yer supposed to put bread in that, right?" A husky voice commented.

Turning around, I was completely unsurprised to see Logan standing at the doorway. He was leaning on the frame and had his arms crossed over his chest covered by a tight fitting white tank-top. My eyes followed the curve of his muscly biceps and up his shoulders. There was something about this man…

Completely disregarding his comment, I asked the man a question.

"What is a hunk?"

His eyebrows raised and I could see amusement in his eyes.

"Why do ya want to know?"

I huffed. "Obviously, so I know what I called you."

The longer I stayed in this time era, the easier I found it to speak similarly to, and understand, the other people here.

"And why should I tell ya?" Logan smirked smugly. "I like keeping you in the dark."

I glared at him. And then I had an idea. Ignoring Logan, I walked quickly into the next room over, wondering why I hadn't thought of this before. On the dining room table was a thin, black device, which I had learnt was called an 'iPad'. On this, I could easily search the word.

I picked it up and unlocked it. The was no password luckily, and I then spent a moment trying to find the search browser. Ah, here we go.

About a minute later, when I had remembered Kitty's instructions from a couple of days before, I had the word's definition before me.

 _Hunk – noun. A large, strong, sexually attractive man._

"Hmm." I murmured. "Well, they're not wrong. He certainly is attractive."

I thought about Logan, and found the description aptly suited to his figure.

"Come again?" Questioned the very man of my thoughts.

I hadn't realised he had followed me. Turning, I found him watching me. I trailed my gaze slowly down his body and then back up to his face, where I found his dark eyes watching me with interest.

I grinned lazily, enjoying his darkened gaze. I knew he had heard me, so I made no effort to cover it up. Stepping closer to him, with a sudden bout of courage, I trailed my finger across his hard chest before leaning slightly up to his face, close enough to feel his rough breathing.

I smirked before quickly turning my lips towards his ear and whispered, "You heard me."

Leaning back slightly, I looked in his hungry eyes, before stepping back and darting out of the room, leaving Logan there breathing heavily with, dare I say – desire.


	12. Walls

Wow. My chapter length really varies. Thank you so much **moonlite982, InbetweenGrey001** and **Mara-Lethe** for reviewing. I really appreciate the nice comments!

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OC PoV

Over the following few weeks, I was fairly reserved, and I think even Logan noticed. I had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that love and friendship only ended in pain. I had a dream a couple of nights ago, and it had been haunting me. My parents' faces began as loving as they looked at me and talked to me. Then the atmosphere darkened, and their expression turned to terror and disgust, and I could hear their thoughts echoing one word.

 _Monster._

With my thoughts tied to the past, my old walls of a polite, quiet lady woke up. I hardly said anything during the day, with the exception of greetings. As I was so distracted, I never really noticed how strange I was acting.

…

Charles PoV

I noticed that Pascale had become strangely quiet. The small things she said seemed to be from her own time. She greeted people with ma'am or sir, and gave a small curtsy. Her eyes seemed vacant, but occasionally I caught a glimpse of pain and loneliness. With her mind so caught up, I was unsure of how to approach the situation. However, I couldn't leave anyone living in my mansion as lonely and pained as her thoughts projected. I wondered if it had anything to do with the way she collapsed in my office when I mentioned the witch burnings, the first time I met her. It was obvious that she had gone through some kind of traumatic experience, and although she may hardly remember it, I think she needed help. I needed a plan.

…

Logan PoV

I was clueless. Pascale had become unnaturally quiet and reserved several days after that night, I had no idea what to do. Her action that night had left me wanting more. However she never followed it up. In fact, she even pulled away from me, talking only in necessary amounts. I missed the amusing chats we had deep in the night.

Occasionally, I passed her in the halls during the day. Pascale generally curtsied and wished me a good noon 'sir'. Now, I was pretty sure we had passed that point. She seemed to have gone back in time, and I had no idea of how to bring her back.

….

OC PoV

 _Monster._

I shook my head. _No, I cannot be a monster. Look around you, I have a home and a family. They aren't rejecting me or calling me names._ I sat down in my room and looked out the window, feeling the lazy warm breeze on my face.

 _Monster._

Slamming my palm down on the window sill, I grunted, frustrated at my thoughts. _NO! I am not a monster. How about Logan. He likes me. He's never looked at me with disgust or terror._ A vision of my parent's faces morphed into my mind and I shook my head again, standing up and storming away from the window.

 _I could just let some people into my life, let someone love me. Let Logan closer to me._ But I can't. There's something frustratingly just there, in my mind, stopping me from going any further, making me put my walls down. I don't know how much it will take for someone to break them, but I don't think it would be much. I wanted to let Logan closer, to feel what it would be like to have someone care for me.

I could try. I could let him in _. But I don't want to see his face look with disgust on me._ I don't think he would. _Anyway, if he does, you could just run._ That sounds familiar. No, there will be no more running. I want to stay here. I want friends. _Yet there's a secret hidden in your head that will stop you, monster. No one can love the other side of your mutation._

My eyes flicked to the window, widening. Through some bizarre argument in my head, I had come across a possible reason for why I was shutting everyone out. It was just a thought, nothing more, nothing less, but I needed to find out more.

I needed to see Charles.


	13. Distraction Seriously Xavier?

It was around 10pm when I decided to make my way towards the Professor. Of course I didn't really think that I might be waking him up, so when I walked into his office I was surprised to see no one there. But then I realised the man wouldn't live in his office, so I called to him with my mind.

Five minutes later I knocked on a dark, wooden door and heard Charles' voice calling to come in. I walked in and saw he was lying in bed.

"You do realise what time it is, don't you?" He asked me amusedly.

I blinked. "Ah. Sorry about that. I can go, I'll come back tomorrow." I said sheepishly, turning around.

The Professor sighed. "No, you might as well ask what you came for, seeing as I'm awake."

I turned back to him, asking if he was sure. He nodded, and so I walked to the side of his bed and sat on the chair next to it. I rested my hands on my knees and took a deep breath.

"I was wondering whether you would be able to read my memories. Or somehow break down the wall in my head and let me see them."

Charles looked deep into my eyes. "I may not be able to my dear. If you have forgotten it yourself, it may longer be in your mind."

I nodded. "Yes, but I can feel there is something there… It stops me doing certain things, and I want to know why."

"Ah, you would like to know what is putting your walls up and stopping you making close bonds with other people, stopping you let them in."

The Professor looked thoughtful.

"Yes," I responded. "Exactly. I was wondering if anyone noticed."

He raised his eyebrows. "I am not the only one who noticed."

I sighed. "Okay."

Charles raised his right hand to my temple.

"I'll try, but I can't promise you anything."

I nodded my head again.

…

10 minutes later I walked out knowing nothing more than I already did. Charles had told me to ignore whatever was stopping me for now, as it'll make an appearance when it needs to. But for now, live my life to the fullest knowing that this is my home and this is my family. He also promised that he'd organised a distraction for me.

As I walked down the hall, my thoughts curious about his 'distraction', I passed a mirror. I stopped, and took a couple of paces backwards to look at my reflection. Since I woke up in the med-room, I hadn't seen myself.

I was wearing slightly baggy, black trackies that fell loosely over my legs. A fitted, dark blue t-shirt covered my upper body and I saw that I had filled out into a more healthy appearance. I almost would have said I looked good.

A low voice broke my thoughts.

"Ain't ya ever seen yaself before?"

I shivered, and then turned to face Logan, standing there with his arms crossed over his broad chest. Before I said anything he spoke again.

"In case yer wonderin', yer look a lot better than when I found yer." He rumbled.

I raised my eyebrows.

Logan spoke again. "Chuck booked ya in for some defense lessons with me, so I'll expect you down in the trainin' room at 6am tomorrow."

Again, before I could respond, he swaggered off down the hall. _So that was Charles' 'distraction'_ , I thought.

Then I realised something.

 _CHARLES!_ I mentally screamed. _You were looking in the wrong section of my head!_


	14. If I'm gonna do it

I groaned in pain and wiped my palm across my sweaty forehead. I took deep gulps of lovely oxygen, and I closed my eyes, my body already going asleep in numbness. I was lying on the gym mats and about half my body was covered in feathers due to the workout session with Mr Hard-and-Muscly, and all my body was hot and sweaty. The feathers were the colour of Logan's skin, a nice tanned colour. From a distance I imagine I would've looked like I had some type of crazy tan lines, with my lighter skin and darker tanned patches.

"I… am soo… not fit." I mumbled in between breaths.

"I agree." Logan put in.

I cracked an eye open at him. "I did not ask for your opinion."

He snorted. "Then feel honoured that I gave it to you for free."

"Augh." I groaned and closed my eye again.

Logan looked absolutely breathtaking and also maddeningly infuriating at the same time. I resolved not to look at him again. In his tight fitted tank top, he was leaning against the wall a couple of metres from me, with not even a drop of sweat on him. Here I was collapsed on the floor in an ungraceful, exhausted, sweaty heap. With a rat's nest hair-do. The workout session was maddeningly exhausting.

After a blissful moment of silence, I felt a presence loom near me.

I opened my eyes again to focus on Logan's hand held out to me to help me up. Without looking at Logan, I ignored his hand, and rolled a couple of feet away before proceeding to heave my body to my feet.

Once on my feet, I turned to see Logan with that familiar smirk on his face.

"Hurt yer pride to accept a hand of help?" He rumbled.

I grunted in response, before turning my slightly feathery body towards the door. At least the feathers protected me from cuts and bruises, but that didn't stop the pain. I slowly left the gym room and Logan behind, with no clue if he was following, and meandered my way down to the kitchen. I walked in and Jean was there with Scott, nursing cups of tea. She raised her eyebrow at my entrance.

"Tough session?"

I nodded with a sigh, before proceeding to open the fridge door for snacks. Once I had a huge piece of watermelon in hand, I walked back to the table and slumped next to Jean.

Then Logan walked in the room. Looking absolutely fine.

 _Charles why are you doing this to me!_ I mentally whined.

Ignoring the hunk, I took a huge bite of my watermelon. And literally moaned as its cool, sweet juice entered me.

 _HA!_

I jumped, my knee hitting the table painfully.

 _Good Angel Charles! A little warning would be nice._

Jean looked at me as I rolled my eyes. 'Charles?' She mouthed at me silently. I nodded.

 _I am doing it for your own good, Pascale._ Charles mentally said. _By the looks of that mental image I saw, the distraction is doing you well._

I reddened. Logan's eyes were on me, and I blushed even further.

"Chuck sending you dirty pics, Cal?" He rumbled.

Chocking on my melon, I turned even redder than possible before retorting back at him. I also wondered about the new nickname.

"You wish, sunshine."

He raised his eyebrows. "Do I?"

I ignored him.

 _Besides, you need to let more people close to you in life. You will benefit from it. And stop worrying about the other side of your mutation, we can figure that out when the time comes. Just let yourself go for now._

Sighing in defeat, I quickly finished my watermelon before standing up and sauntering slowly over to the hunk, who was leaning against the kitchen sink. I might as well go all the way and let him know I'm interested if I'm going to listen to Charles' advice. I leaned right up close, aware that Jean and Scott were watching me, but not as aware as I was of Logan's own dark gaze staring right into me. Once again, I shifted my head to the side of his head, much like that time several weeks ago.

"Chuck's got a whole picture gallery of you that I'm enjoying going through." I whispered lowly into his ear, so no one else could hear.

At the same time, I snaked an arm around to the kitchen sink behind him. I could hear his breath come slightly faster, as me reaching to the sink pressed my body closer to his. While I distracted him, I quietly filled a mug with cold water.

I bit his earlobe, let a breath feather against his ear, before whispering mischievously, "I think you need to wish harder."

And then I tipped the mug of cold water over his head.

…

Logan's PoV

Heat was creeping through my body as she whispered in my ear. I had no idea how this centuries-old-yet-young woman knew what she was doing, but boy did she know.

"I think you need to wish harder." She whispered, before pushing herself away from my body.

I instantly missed her warmth, but then I caught her sneaky looking grin. I jumped, tensing up as the girl dumped icy cold water over my head. I gasped and spluttered before reaching out to grab her blindly as water covered my face, but she was gone.

Now cold and dripping wet, I snorted and shook my head, spraying water everywhere. _Oh you just started something you're gonna regret._ I muttered mentally.

Jean and Scott just sat at the table with wide eyes. _Probably not my normal reaction. Ah well, who cares? I've got a girl to catch._ And I walked dripping wet out of the room.


	15. Well, well Who do we have here?

OC PoV

Over the weeks that followed that incident, Logan's image was always imprinted on my mind. I felt sorry for the Professor, his mind was probably scarred due to my mental images. But then, he can block it out, so it's not my fault if I happen to project them. Logan seemed to be teasing me, by appearing out of nowhere without a shirt on, or just walking down the corridor from the gym showing off his torso. Damn. I couldn't deny he looked good. I wanted him so bad.

I was getting pretty familiar with this time era now, and I loved it. I had a huge family with lots of friends. There were several younger kids in the mansion, and they were all lovely. And quite mischievous. More than once have I caught them doing something they were supposed to be doing.

I was currently walking through the forest near the school. It was quite peaceful. The sun filtered through the green canopy of leaves and caught dust particles lazily drifting in the air. It was completely still and I could hear the soft chitter of birds around me. I reached a green, mossy clearing that looked so inviting for a nap, I couldn't resist. Choosing a comfortable looking tree trunk, I sat down and leant against it. Within moments, the warm sun had lulled me to sleep.

….

As a cool chill surrounded me, I shivered and woke up. It was dusk, and it appeared as though I had slept away several hours. I felt very satisfied, and wide awake now.

Then I heard a distant scream. I jumped to my feet, startled. _It must have come from the mansion!_ I was a fifteen minute sprint away from the school, and I started hurtling through the trees as fast as I could. Several times, I startled animals who jumped and skittered away.

When I arrived at the mansion completely out of breath, I paused at the fringe of the tree line. It was dark now, but I could see the shadow of several jets on the grass. There was no screaming now, although I could tell something was seriously wrong.

….

I followed my senses into the school, creeping silently down the corridors. Then I heard another yell. It sounded like one of the kids. Without I second thought, I started running towards the room it came from. I rushed through the doorway, only to screech to a halt. The X-Men were all strapped in bizarre positions, each some strange materialled rope wrapping tightly around them. Since none of them were free, I could only imagine the rope was stronger than it looked. Each mutant was in a position where it would have been impossible to use their powers without killing a friend. Storm was connected to a conductor which looped around Kitty and Rogue. And they were both tied too tightly to move. The Professor had a metal cap on his head, and Scott's closed eyes were uncovered but directed straight at the ropes. Where I now noticed at least 7 children hung from, above a vat of thick, bubbling grey liquid. Both of Logan's fists were turned over his heart.

I caught Logan's eye and started to move towards him, before his eyes flicked over my shoulder.

"Well, well. Who do we have here?" A dark voice spoke. "You don't seem familiar to me. Might I inquire as to who you are?"

I, having no clue who this was, could only guess that he was an enemy of my friends.

Turning towards the voice, I gave a small curtsy and nod.

"You may indeed sir, but that does not mean I will tell you."

The man in front of me took a step closer. His face in the light, looked wrinkled and grey, yet it bore traces of being handsome at one point in time. He kind of reminded me of Gandalf the Grey, but an unkind, lesser Gandalf without the wizard clothes and beard.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, as if he were amused with me.

"No, I daresay it doesn't mean that. Perhaps if I introduce myself first?" He queried. "I am Magneto."


	16. Blades

A slight shiver of recognition ran through me, although I was largely unfamiliar with the name.

I knew I still wasn't a particularly good fighter, but my friends needed me. I took a step forward and widened my stance.

"I won't say it's a pleasure to meet you, Magneto, because it isn't. Why are you here?"

He grinned. "Well, I'm looking for someone. My sources tell me that there is a powerful mutant hidden here. I am here to meet them." Magneto looked towards Xavier. "Although someone here won't tell me where they are."

I blinked. Okay then.

Magneto looked at me again. "You appear to have very minimal powers, but perhaps the X-men have confided in you where this mutant is?" 

A silver knife shot towards me. I couldn't help but flinch as it neared me. I knew it couldn't cut my skin, but my heart was pounding away.

I gazed at the knife's point. "Your blades don't scare me, Magneto."

"No?" He asked. "Then perhaps if I cut your friend you will tell me?"

A knife soared towards Logan.

Logan's eyes gave nothing away. He looked at me and shook his head minutely. I glared defiantly at Magneto.

"No?" He laughed. "Well maybe your bonds run deeper than that."

The little knife dropped to Logan's left shoulder, a little above his hands over his heart.

"Do you think," Magneto said, addressing me, "That if I give a little push, the man's claws will kill himself?"

"I think it's worth a try." He laughed. "At the same time, perhaps I could encourage you?"

Another knife soared through the air to stop a few centimeters away from my chest.

The cloaked man rumbled out a cold laugh, before twitching his finger and both knives moved towards their victims. The knife pushed painstakingly slowly into Logan's chest. I took a step back from the knife in front of me.

"Tut, tut, darling. You stay where you are, or the rest will suffer." Demanded Magneto.

Small bits of sharp metal had flown across the room and now hovered over different limbs belonging to my friends. The metal moved closer, touching them. Magneto looked at me before one after the other, they started screaming.

I watched, horrified. The pain of tiny little metal scraps just digging into my friends.

"NO!" I yelled. "No, STOP!"

Magneto cocked his head. "But I'm hardly touching the surface."

I knew that. The metal had barely done any damage. I still couldn't stand it. And then Magneto twitched his fingers and the knife in front of Logan dug in. Logan grunted, containing a scream. The pure look of agony tipped me over the edge.

I screamed in resistance, moving towards Logan.

Then my scream turned to one of pain, of pure torture. _What is happening?_ The look of confusion on Magneto's face, coupled by similar looks on Storm and Jeans' faces told me it wasn't Magneto hurting me.

I staggered, dropping to my knees. Not feeling the jarring pain of impact on my knees, I reached my hands over my shoulders, where the pain bloomed from my upper back. I dug in my fingernails, and screamed in agony.


	17. Fatal Wings

_The murderer loomed over my parents._ It was like ice and fire needles stabbing me, the pain wouldn't stop. _Wings, huge wings were sprouting out of my back._ I knew what was happening now. _Running through a forest, meeting an old man, saving Nana._ The memories were almost as painful as the agony in my back. They flashed forwards and stabbed my head, like a severe, pulsing headache. _My wings lashed out and a man fell before me. Snow, numbness of the pain, and the nothing._ Gasping for breath, the pain started easing out. There was a heavy weight on my back, and I knew what it was.

Apart from my breath, the room was absolutely silent. I could feel the stares from everyone boring into me. I knew who I was now. My entire story had flashed before my eyes. The reasons why I kept away from love and friendship. Now, I didn't care if these people thought me a monster. I was going to save my friends. They had cared for me and now I would repay them. Then I would run away. I didn't need to hear the word from their mouths. _Monster._ I would be gone before I could hear it.

I stood up and looked directly at Magneto, avoiding my friends gazes.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?"

He scoffed. "It still will be. You are no fighter, even with those wings. Besides, are you sure you want metal wings with me around?"

I laughed a cold harsh laugh. "That is where you are wrong. It is true that I am no fighter, but these wings belong to a demon. They know how to fight."

I advanced closer to him. "Are you sure they're made of metal? Check why don't you."

Magneto stretched his fingers. I felt the room hold is breath. Nothing happened. I smirked. My memories had shown me that my wings may seem like metal, but they weren't quite composed of the same elements. Instead, they had a stronger composition.

A flicker of understanding sparked in his eyes, and I realised that I was who he was looking for. True, _I_ had no fighting talent, but my wings had a mind of their own. The man gestured towards the children hanging from the ceiling.

"One wrong move and they fall." He spoke.

I looked towards the children. Jean whispered a plea to not hurt the children. I relaxed my posture. _Snap!_ I twisted and turned before anyone could blink and my left wing spun around, whacking Magneto, before turning and snapping back the other wing. Startled, the man dropped hold on his metal knives. Before anyone could do anything, I had turned into a solid whirlwind of wings. They spun and twisted of their own accord, striking and flapping, twisting and turning. In a confusing blur of motions, Magneto was knocked out, and his other men were coming towards me. I turned my back to my friends, and spread out my wings protectively. No one was going to hurt them. My heart pounded and my breath came hard. I felt strong and unpredictable.

With my wings controlling my actions, when the first man was within two metres of me, they twisted me around and flung several sharp feathers across the room. One struck the ropes binding Logan, another the conductor around Storm, and the last broke the hold on the Professor's metal head cap. Although I didn't see this. Once more, my wings were a tornado, and they flung me around the room, striking anyone and everyone. I felt like half of my brain was watching myself like an outsider, and the other half was a force to be reckoned with. A force of icy feathers that knew exactly how to fight. And fight well.

Bam! I twisted and landed on the floor. Using my momentum, I rolled and shot up whacking another man. I stretched out my wingspan, and it was almost as wide as the room, and that was saying something. I turned and knocked down another guy before taking a few giant flaps. Within seconds, the other men in front of me were on the floor. I brought my wings in and touched down on the floor, just as Logan barrelled in front of me towards the men.

I knew I didn't have to watch any more.


End file.
